1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear, such as a shoe or boot having a saddle or spat region over the upper front thereof. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a removable saddle or spat for a shoe, such as a golf shoe, that can be attached to the shoe upper in a very secure, yet functional and comfortable manner.
2. Description of Related Art
Footwear, especially athletic footwear, such as golf shoes, are becoming more and more desirable for players. In a broader sense, the expense of obtaining shoes for the athletically minded individual is great. A different pair of shoes is required for golf, soccer, running, walking, cycling, bowling, boating and other sport and leisure activities. In addition, golfers for instance, also wear a wide variety of color coordinated clothes, for which many different style and color golf shoes may be required. It would be advantageous to provide a golf shoe wherein a single pair of shoes could be altered by the wearer thus creating the equivalent of many different colored pairs of shoes. For example, the color of an upper part of the shoe or the saddle could be changed to a different color by the wearer to coordinate with other attire.
There is known in the prior art removable or exchangeable spat sections for shoes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,080 to Flanagan Jr. et al. discloses a shoe having a saddle area that can be removed and exchanged for a different color saddle. The saddle is held on the shoe by a series of snaps. A similar arrangement is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,293 to Benedict. However, the attachment or fastener means for these types of shoes generally requires the use of snaps or guides which are difficult to use and are bulky and unsightly. In addition, the known types of removable spats use snaps or rails to attach the spat to the shoe. These attachment mechanisms are difficult to use, require a lot of time and manipulation, and because the attachment points are fixed, they generally can not accommodate feet of different widths very well. In addition, because the attachment mechanism is confined to an edge area of the spat, the spat may not be securely fastened to the shoe over its entire surface allowing debris to collect under the spat.